who else to blame?

II - unbelievably fucked

Pete jolted upright and his eye's darted open after remembering the blog-post he made last night, desperately hoping yesterday was some type of nightmare. He scrambled to get his laptop open, groggy and slightly dizzy after all the sudden movement. He scrolled to his post and read a few comments he had seen, all ranging from disappointment to relief.

"Awh, I was really hoping that it was true :( <3 Peterick"

"So, I guess Pete's gone back on his word now, huh?"

"Oh thank god, them being together would've completely ruined the band."

Pete tried to shake off his sudden anger with the last comment and rang Joe after seeing the numerous missed calls by him. He hadn't talked to him or Andy since the whole scandal came around, he didn't know what to expect.

Joe picked up on the first ring. "Pete, hey dude, are you okay? I just talked to Patrick and I was hoping I could come around with Andy and uh, you know, chat, get some pizza." Joe was obviously hesitant with making the last comment, it was clear he wasn't sure how Pete would react.

"Oh, yeah... I guess I'm alright. Yesterday was a fucking nightmare, I couldn't believe it happened. When I rang Patrick, I could tell he was freaking the hell out. I think I'll be fine. Is Andy with you?" Pete felt slightly numb inside saying these words, he wasn't sure if he was even being honest.

"Yeah, he is." Pete heard the movement of the phone and then heard the drummer's familiar voice. "Hey, listen. We're currently trying to get some of the blog posts down. Some of the shit is complete defamation, absolute bullshit." Andy never often swore, so it surprised Pete a lot.

"You guys don't have to do that, thank you..." but Pete thought about it for a second. Why were they trying so hard to take it down? How much would it even matter to them if it were true? Suddenly he wasn't so sure on if his friends were so accepting, now that it was him who was thought to be bi, gay, whatever-the-fuck.

"Why are you two so adamant on taking it all down? How would you even feel if it were all true? Disgusted?" Pete felt bitter as he spat out these words, hearing a short silence through the receiver.

"No, of course not Pete! Dude, what the hell!" It was Joe now, "Why the hell would we think that? We were taking it down because Patrick asked to, and we assumed you'd want all of it down as well. What's up with you?" Joe's tone was defensive, and he really knew that Andy and Joe would be fine if it was true. Pete took a deep breath and tried to recover from his unnecessary and futile comment.

"Wow... I'm sorry, I don't know what made me so snappy. It's just been a shit day, I really didn't mean anything by it." Pete shook his head, frustrated with himself.

"Its fine, we know you're probably not feeling so good. I suggest just keeping on the down-low and recovering while you still have time. We have heaps of stuff to do with album promotions pretty soon." Andy explained, "We hope you feel better soon, if you need us, we're right here."
"Alright, thanks guys. I'll talk later, hopefully." Pete tried his best to not sound like a sad sack-of-shit when talking. Joe and Andy said their goodbyes and Pete laid down on his bed. Annoyed and feeling disordered.

Joe's words repeated in Pete's mind. "What's up with you?". Pete had no clue on why he was feeling so attacked when they were taking down the posts. What was it that got under his skin? Abruptly, his thoughts shifted back onto the concept of dating Patrick and he started breathing heavily. Was it that? Was he really interested in men? There were a few times in high-school and college where he made out with a few guys on a dare or just to try it. He'd never really considered being in a serious relationship with a man before, but right now it was all he could think about. It didn't take him too long to make a decision and completely go against Andy's words after devising a plan (which was perhaps one of his most ill-fated decisions to date). If he was going to find out if he liked guys, he might as well get some firsthand experience.

The EDM music blared in Pete's ears as he sat sluggishly on an uncomfortable stool, leaning on a neon bar. He kept his hat slightly crooked as he scanned the area, looking at the heaping pile of men drunkenly dancing and a gaggle of drunk blonde girl's giggling as if they'd never seen so many gay guys in one place before. They probably hadn't, as Pete sure as hell he hadn't either. It wasn't exactly what he had been expecting. He'd just been sitting there, ordering drinks for a loser-ish amount of time. He downed his last glass and stood up, looking around at the profuse amount of flashing lights and the taller men now surrounding him, he felt his shoulder jolt to one side as a man bumped into him.

Pete's eyes dashed up to see the figure he had collided with. He was a young guy, probably around Patrick's age. He had light hair (Pete could not determine the exact colour, mostly because the multi-coloured lights that suffocated the club) and brown round eyes. He smiled at him.

"Hi, I'm Noah." Noah didn't bother asking for Pete's name, Pete could tell he already knew who he was.

"Hey Noah, Pete." Pete attempted to shake hands, but one of the blonde drunk girls ran into Noah, frivolously apologising then squeezing through the two to get to the bar. Noah light-heartedly laughed.

"What brings you here? You just here for the laughs or are you genuinely looking for something?" Well, that was quick. Pete was slightly tipsy, and he didn't really know what to say. He was inexperienced, to say the least.

"Honestly? I've got no fucking clue." Pete laughed, regretting the trivial comment almost instantly.

"Well, is there anything that made you want to come here, an impulse decision? A realization, maybe?" Noah questioned.

"Yeah, actually. I've just been confused as fuck and too wrapped up in what people think about me. I don't give a shit anymore really. I'll just do what I want." Pete's unexpected feeling of frustration thinking of these words sobered him a little.

"I feel the same way, too. I think just letting go a bit of that anxiety on what people think about you is exactly what everyone needs to do at some point. You seem like a cool guy, Pete." Noah was closer now, and Pete was starting to feel a heat build up in his cheeks.

It didn't take long for the two to leave the club and venture through the streets of Los Angeles.

Even at ungodly hours of the morning, Patrick was blasting Elvis Costello through his headphones. No matter how hard he tried to sleep last night, he couldn't seem to shake the feeling of unease that rushed through him. Even though the issue was all sorted out, he didn't really know why he still had an unresolved issue apparent inside of him. He considered the possibility that there were still articles debating him and Pete's sexuality. He opened his laptop and found an old tab, refreshing to see if anything new popped up.

It took a few scrolls down the page to see a link Patrick hadn't recognized and saw that it was uploaded recently. After clicking on the site, Patrick's jaw dropped to the ground. He saw a paparazzi picture, located in West Hollywood, but that wasn't the part that was interesting to him. It was the fact that Pete was just finished stumbling out of a bar. He had his arm around an attractive man, his head leaning on his shoulder, and he was smirking at him.

"PERHAPS PETEY DIDN'T TELL US THE WHOLE TRUTH..."

"It seems that not even two days after the 'fake' love letter directed at Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz has been found in one of West Hollywood's most popular gay bars in the arms of a mysterious man. The images were taken late last night, with many onlookers saying they recognized Wentz at the club, Flaming Micks. Does this mean Stump and Wentz are going through some rocky waters or is perhaps this the beginning of the end of Wentz's integrity?"

Anger sparked through Patrick's body as he thought 'What had Pete gotten himself into now?'